With the help of Molly
by grugster
Summary: *Challenge Fic* Severus Snape has to check all the muggleborn students for an illness, but when he checks on Hermione, he faints. It’s a good thing Molly is there as well, but, unfortunately, she is not able to use magic.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I'm not a native speaker of English! _

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my mistakes._

_**Dear Readers,**_

_This is a **challenge fic**, so please don't accuse me of being a plot thief when you read similar stories!! I already had this happen once because someone didn't read my author's note, and I would prefer that this not happen again :). Here are the challenge rules by Healer Pomfrey:_

_Time: Summer between Harry's first and second Hogwarts years  
Place: Muggle world  
Format: Oneshot  
Content: Professor Snape has to check on all the students in Harry's year (not only the Slytherins), because of an outbreak of a magical disease, to which the children were exposed before going home. However, while he is checking on one of the Gryffindor students (a known Gryffindor character please, no OC), he faints (because of that special illness or any other reason) and is not able to return to Hogwarts by any magic means, so the student has to look after him and nurse him back to health by Muggle methods. If the student (he or she) gets ill as well is up to you.  
Conditions: Canon up to the end of Harry's first Hogwarts year. No magical help by the students' magical family if she/he has any.  
Deadline: 29th of June, 2009._

_I'm not even sure if it will be accepted as an entry because it is longer than the normal one-shots for the challenges. At least I fear so. Therefore, I will update this story here on FFN as a chaptered story and just in the livejournal page as a one-shot. It will be 4 chapters._

_**IMPORTANT:** This is no Hermione/Severus pairing. It's just a student/teacher relationship!  
_

_I hope you like it!_

_Sunny_

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**Chapter 1 – Coming to the Grangers**

She did not think twice before hurrying over to the bushy-haired girl that looked so lost in Diagon Alley. When Ron was hurt last year during McGonagall's giant chess game on the way to the Philosopher's stone, Molly had seen the girl visiting her son in the hospital wing. "Hermione?" Molly asked the girl when she had reached her. Hermione was crying, and she had red cheeks that stood out quite clearly on her pale face. Big black circles were around her eyes, and she looked puzzled.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked, her voice hoarse.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Molly asked, worried about the condition the girl was in. Hogwarts has Owled only a few days ago that the students had been exposed to a contagious illness during their last days at school. _I wonder how they contacted the Muggle-born students. Their parents will have needed a little more than an owl to explain what to do, even if there isn't much to do except bed rest. They at least have to know that they aren't allowed to give their children any Muggle medicine. _

"My parents are ill. I don't know what to do. They can't even speak anymore."

Suddenly Molly's arms where full of a crying girl. "Calm down, Hermione. I will come with you and check on them. And you should be in bed as well, my dear. Hasn't somebody from Hogwarts contacted you lately?"

Hermione's puzzled look was answer enough.

"What were you doing here anyway, Hermione?" Molly asked without waiting for an answer to her first question.

"I don't know. I just hoped to find an apothecary and ask for help." She swayed slightly, and Molly had trouble steadying her because her hands were full with bags. Molly had just finished her food shopping and was looking for Floo powder when she spotted Hermione. "We'd better get you in bed soon," Molly said and moved Hermione to the next Apparition site. "How did you get to London, Hermione?"

"The train," Hermione said absently.

"That would take us too long. Side-along Apparition is a much better option. It may worsen you condition, but taking the train would also cost you a lot of energy. I have to take the risk." The best thing to do was to take the girl to St. Mungo's and inform Dumbledore about her parents, but Molly wanted Hermione in a bed as soon as possible. She seemed to have Molus Molussus, the illness Hogwarts has warned them about, so Molly let her worry about the girl and her parents rule over rationality and Apparated them both near Hermione's home.

Hermione groaned after the Apparition, and Molly again had problems holding Hermione up. "Hermione, please, you have to stay awake. I can't Shrink my bags here because I won't be able to resize them when we get to your home. I'm not allowed to use magic there, not even to help you and your parents. I can only use magic if you are in mortal peril, and that is, thankfully, not the case."

"I'll try," Hermione said miserably.

"You have to lead me to your home, Hermione," Molly gently coaxed the girl to move.

When Molly saw Mr. and Mrs. Granger, she sighed sadly. "Did they take antibiotics, Hermione?" Molly had learned a few things while helping her sister care for Muggle-born children.

"Yes, I think so. Maybe I should look in their night tables. My mother use to put her medications in there." With that, she started to rummaging in the drawer of the night table. "Here it is. They took one pill each."

"That's enough to put them in a coma." Molly could not explain more because Hermione had started to sob helplessly.

"No, please," Hermione cried out and threw herself on her comatose mother.

"Hermione, calm down. It's not as bad as you think it is. It's just the magical illness' reaction to the antibiotics. There is an antidote, but we have to wait until someone from Hogwarts comes to check on you. I will send for help."

Hermione looked up. "From Hogwarts? Why would someone come? You can't use magic to call them."

"I'm sure they sent someone in person to check on the Muggle-born students. They don't have to worry about the magical families as much," Molly explained calmly as she slowly approached the totally exhausted girl.

Hermione could hardly keep herself steadied. She almost collapsed over her mother.

"Come on, Hermione. Show me your room so that you can rest. I cannot do much for your parents right now, but I will try to lower their fevers with Muggle methods. They are not dangerously ill, Hermione. I don't dare to leave you alone for the next days. The illness is very unsteady in young people like yourself. Your condition can change from minute to minute. I just have to wait until someone comes for help."

"But your family – " Hermione protested weakly while Molly helped her up.

"My sister is with them at the moment, so the children are cared for. Don't worry, Hermione."

"But they will worry. They don't know where you are."

Molly slowly guided Hermione out of her parent's bedroom. "Yes, they will be worried, but taking care of you is more important right now. Maybe someone from Hogwarts will come in the next days and then he can ask for help. Now, where is your room?"

Minutes later, Molly sat in front of a sleeping Hermione. She gently bathed her face with a cool cloth. _She'll have a hard time. Young people have more problems handling it than adults. If the Grangers hadn't taken the antibiotics, they would have recovered in 4 or 5 days. Now they will remain comatose until they receive the antidote._ The only thing Molly had to ensure was that they drank enough water. Their swallow reflexes still worked, so she could coax liquid down their throats. Molly's sister had shown her how to mix nutrient water that helped people to survive even when it would take some time to get help. The human body could survive two weeks without food, and with the nutrient water, Molly could keep them breathing for months, but that would not be necessary. _Hermione will have good and bad times for a week or two, but she won't be stable enough to leave alone, not even for a short time to contact someone._

While Hermione was sleeping, Molly made herself comfortable in the guest room. It had two beds and even a few spare clothes. In the kitchen, Molly filled the fridge with the food she had bought. With the current food supply, they could survive for three weeks. Molly hoped that she did not have to stay that long, but she would never leave these people alone. _Thank Merlin, my sister taught me enough about Muggles to survive here. Hermione can show me how these strange machines work, _Molly thought while eying the microwave and the stove. She spent the next hour searching for things she could use to help the Grangers with the illness. She found a thermometer and some clothes that she could use for cold compresses. Hermione's parents were not in any pain and so the compresses, regular temperature checks, and the nutrient water were all that Molly had to provide them. Hermione would need more intensive care. She would be in pain, and without the help of any potions, it would be difficult. Molly had no idea how to use the stove, and so she had to wait for Hermione to wake again before she could brew tea for her.

The first thing she did was make a fever chart for the Grangers and supply them with their first compresses and nutrient water. Then she went back to Hermione to bathe her face with a cool cloth and make a compress for her. Hermione did not wake, and Molly slept on a chair near her bed.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione said, confused when she woke up the next morning.

"Oh, dear, you finally woke up. How do you feel?" Molly asked while dragging herself out of the chair. Sleeping there had not been comfortable.

"I'm fine. What about my parents?" Hermione asked, worried.

"As I explained yesterday, Hermione, there isn't much I can do but keep them alive. They are in no pain and no mortal peril. We just have to wait for help. Calm down and let me check your temperature," Molly instructed the girl.

Hermione let her put the thermometer in her mouth. "Everything will be okay, Hermione," Molly assured the frightened child and gently ran her hand over her brown locks. "39°C. You still need to rest, but first I fear we have to take advantage of your improved condition so that you can show me how to boil water and make food here. I'm not used to Muggle machines. I learned a few things from my sister about caring for Muggle children, so I knew how to make light and how to use the thermometer, but you have to show me how to work in the kitchen and in the bath. Are you feeling up to it?"

"Sure, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said smiling. She was so happy to not be alone and to have someone who could help her and her parents.

_**

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Please let me know what you think about it! Please review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I'm not a native speaker of English! _

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my mistakes._

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**Chapter 2 – Severus Arrives at the Grangers**

"Damn," Severus cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Each Apparition had worsened his headache and the dizziness he felt. His throat was sore and he had problems swallowing. He wished he could crawl into bed and hide there until the epidemic was over. _Thank Merlin, this is the last student I have to check on,_ he thought, relieved. Ten of the Muggle-born students he had checked on had caught the illness, and he had given their parents the instructions on how to care for them and the potions that would speed up their recovery. Of those families, two parents had caught the illness from their child. He even had to use his Self-refilling antidote Vial twice because the students had taken antibiotics. _Now it's only the little know-it-all I have to check on,_ Severus thought and slowly walked into the direction of the Grangers' house. With each step, he felt worse. _Damn, I should have taken something before I left. I just hope I won't meet Poppy when I return to Hogwarts. Good thing I told her that I would visit a friend after checking on the students. She probably won't even check to see if I have returned yet._ Severus grinned, satisfied with himself.

Standing in front of the door, Severus sighed and steadied himself on the frame. "Just one more. Get a hold of yourself, Severus," he ordered himself. After taking a deep breath, he pushed the doorbell. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not Molly Weasley at the door. He also did not expect that he would feel darkness overcome him the moment he caught sight of her. With a loud crash, he fell into the house. Molly had no chance to catch him; she could only lessen the impact. The sound of shattered glass vanished Molly's hope for an antidote for the adult Grangers in an instant.

"What happened, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione's scared voice could be heard behind Molly while she tried to heave the unconscious man completely into the house.

"I fear our help from Hogwarts needs help himself," Molly pressed out between her teeth while straining to pull the Potions Master in the direction of the guest room.

"I'll help you," Hermione said, kicking the door shut and taking the professor's legs. With some difficulty, they managed to heave the unconscious man onto one of the guest beds. "Do you think he has the illness?"

"No, I'm sure he took the immunization, but I know him well enough to know that he has something else he didn't think necessary to care for until it was too late. I will try to wake him, but I think it is better if you leave for now," Molly said while eying Severus closely.

Hermione felt dizzy and started to sway. Carrying the Professor had worsened her condition.

"Hermione, you shouldn't even have been out of bed." She stood up and took Hermione by the arm. "I will take you back to bed, and you will stay there until I tell you different," Molly instructed firmly.

After tucking Hermione in, Molly went back to Severus, taking the small bag she had packed to carry between Hermione's and her parents' rooms with her. She sat down on the bed. _Merlin, I will lose at least ten kilos from running between rooms. I have to find another solution if this continues, but at least someone will miss Severus and check for him, _she thought hopefully.

Severus woke up with a jolt when Molly placed the smelling salts under his nose. "Uhh," he groaned and grabbed his hammering head.

"Calm down, Severus," Molly instructed and laid a hand on his chest to push him back down gently. "I have to check what's wrong with you. You have taken the immunization against Molus Molussus, right?"

"Of course, Molly." Severus fought against unconsciousness again. "What are you doing here?"

"Hush, and let me check you throat. Open up," she ordered with a small lamp in her hand to check his throat.

"I don't need your help, Molly," Severus said and tried to stand up. He did not get far. The dizziness overcame him so hard that he could not differentiate up and down. His stomach protested, and he threw up. _Thank Merlin I predicted this,_ Molly thought while holding a bowl in front of the sick man. "There, there," Molly said calmly as she supported Severus.

Never in his life had Severus ever been so embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he croaked. His throat was on fire.

"You don't have to be sorry for throwing up, but be sorry for not listening to me. I hope this will change now, young man," Molly said sternly. She remembered how Poppy had often taken care for the stubborn man and strict tone was working better on him. "You will lie down now and let me check on you."

"You cannot use magic," Severus stated miserably as he lie down.

"I don't need magic to examine you or help you. Now open up," Molly ordered.

Severus glared at her. "I just threw up."

"I know, Severus." Rolling her eyes when he blushed and almost made a puppy look at her, she grabbed for the water glass on the night table. After helping him to drink and rinse his mouth, she ordered again, "Open up." This time, he obeyed.

"Your throat his very red and swollen, and you have white patches on your tonsils. I fear you have caught tonsillitis while checking on the Muggleborns," Molly explained calmly. "You haven't taken care of yourself lately, and so your underweight body has problems fighting illness. You need total bed rest, and we have to try to lower you fever. Open up again," Molly ordered.

Too exhausted to protest, Severus obeyed once more.

"39.4°C," Molly stated, looking angrily at him. "It will even get higher if I don't get you any medicine. I have to check around the house," Molly said more to herself than to the drowsy man on the bed.

"Send someone for help," Severus croaked.

"I can't. Hermione is ill with Molus Molussus, so I can't leave her alone. Her parents are in a comatose condition because they took antibiotics." Seeing that he wanted to say something to that, she stopped him by laying a finger on his lips. "Spare your throat the pain of speaking. The vial of antidote broke when you fell."

Severus groaned and closed his eyes desperately.

"Shh, Severus. None of my family knows where we are, but I'm sure Albus will check for you soon when you don't come back."

"Nobody will come. They think I'm with a friend now." Severus shook his head, but grabbed it immediately because his headache became worse.

"Headache? I can give you some Muggle medicine for it." She rummaged in her bag and took out an aspirin. "Here, this should help you a little." She gave him the pill with a glass of water. "It's not a potion, but it's better than nothing." Molly sighed. She knew that Severus would not like what she was about to say at all. "Severus, I will have to move Hermione into this room. I cannot run from one room to the other all the time. I have to check on the Grangers as well."

"Merlin, please, Molly – " Severus looked pleadingly at her.

"There is no other way. We have to sit this out until you or Hermione is well enough for me to leave you alone for a moment to contact someone. Until then, we are stuck here." Seeing that Severus had given up protesting, she went over to the cupboard and fetched a pair of pajamas. "Come on, Severus. Let's get this over with." It took some time and a few curses from Severus until they both managed to get him into the pajamas. He was close to passing out now. "Try to sleep a little, Severus. I will look for some medicine for you and settle Ms. Granger in."

Hermione didn't complain when Molly told her the plan. On the contrary, she was happy to not have to stay alone. Molly took Hermione's mattress with them as well so that she could get a few hours' sleep without having an aching back from the uncomfortable chair. The short stress exhausted Hermione so much that she started to sway. Molly was able to catch her and move her into the second bed in the guest room. "Sleep a little, Hermione. I will check on your parents and see if there is any medication for Professor Snape in the house."

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked as she grabbed for Molly's arm to prevent her from leaving.

"He has tonsillitis," Molly explained.

"Oh, that's awful. I had that last year. I think there still is an antibiotic for it in the small medicine shelf in my parents' bedroom."

"I will check, Hermione, thank you," Molly assured her and left the room.

**

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Please review!!! **


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I'm not a native speaker of English! _

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my mistakes._

**_Dear readers,_**

_Chapter 3 of 4 for you today. I asked my beta to correct the other new story as well and so I'm not sure if I can upload the next chapter before I leave for vacation. It's not even sure that I can leave for my journey to Norway because my tonsilitis isn't getting better even with penicillin. :(_

_I cleaned my profil and now all the infos to the characters of my stories (not all at the moment) are on seperated journal on my livejournal account. You can find the links to the info sites on my profile page here.  
_

_Sunny_

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**Chapter 3 – Help from Ms. Granger**

Ten minutes later, Molly came into the room with a bowl of cold water and some clothes. Severus just moaned in his sleep when she adjusted the compresses and bathed his hot face with a cool cloth.

"How do you feel?" she asked Hermione when she came over to her bed.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. Can I help you?"

Molly sighed. "It would better if you stayed in bed, but I need to lower his temperature and make supper for us all. Maybe you could change his compress from time to time and wipe his face until I come back. If he wakes and makes trouble, just call me. I'll leave the door open so that I can hear you in the kitchen."

"Did you find the medicine?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Yes, I found it, but it's for children. I will discuss it with Severus when he wakes up. Maybe it will help a little, but I will leave it to him to decide. Just call me when he wakes." Molly placed a small bottle and two medicine packages on the night table before she left for the kitchen.

Hermione had just started to change Severus' compress for the second time when he woke up. "What are you doing Ms. Granger?" he asked, startled at her presence.

"I'm changing your compress, Professor. Mrs. Weasley is cooking and asked me to take care of you," Hermione said fearfully, seeing the look of horror in the professor's eyes.

"Take care of me? I don't need you to take care of me," he hissed, but his voice cracked and he grabbed for his throat.

Hermione did not know how she did it, but she stayed calm. "Please, Professor, you have to calm down. You are hurting your throat. Drink this," Hermione said as she cautiously held a cup of tea in his direction.

Severus stared at her. _I'm in hell. The little know-it-all is worried about me and wants to help me. How will I survive this?_

"Please, Professor, you should drink. I will call Mrs. Weasley so that she can discuss the medications with you," Hermione said.

Finally, Severus took the cup and drank some tea. It soothed his throat. _Molly must have put some honey in it_, Severus thought thankfully.

Hermione went to the door and called for Mrs. Weasley. She only managed to call once before she passed out.

"What did you think you were doing, letting her out of bed ?" Severus spat while Molly lifted the unconscious Hermione into her bed.

"I had to cook, Severus."

"She will worsen her condition if she stresses herself," Severus managed to say, but his voice broke several times while he spoke.

"Stop talking, Severus, or you won't have a voice for the next few days."

Just hearing the words 'next few days' made Severus shiver_. Merlin, how long do we have to live like this?_

"I have to discuss this medicine with you. So save the rest of your voice for this and not for arguing about something we cannot change. I will need Hermione's help to take care of you while I have to check on her parents and cook." Molly came over to his bed and sat down on it. Severus scooted closer to the wall. "I don't bite, Severus. Maybe you remember that I helped Poppy nurse you back to health a few times before?"

He rolled his eyes. "You had to rub that under my nose?"

This time Molly rolled her eyes. "Just behave, Severus. You wouldn't be giving Hermione a good example. We both want her to get healthy as soon as possible so that I can leave to get help, right?"

"Yes," Severus gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Okay. Look at this. It's all I could find for you. This is an antibiotic for children that could help with your tonsillitis, but I'm not sure if it would have any effect on an adult. Then there's a painkiller that will help to lower your fever. And this gargling mixture," Molly said as she showed him the packages and the small bottle on the night table.

"The antibiotic is useless. I had tonsillitis as a child, and I survived without an antibiotic. My immune system will be able to fight it. The painkiller is good. I will take it, but you cannot expect me to gargle in front of Ms. Granger." Severus glared challenging at Molly.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Are you daft, woman? Where would I spit it?"

Molly just held up the bucket she had place beside his bed.

"No," he protested.

"Yes. No arguing about it." Her tone was as stern as Poppy's, and his mouth dropped open. "That's the first step." She pressed the glass of the gargle mixture into his hands.

"But Molly," he pleaded. Seeing her glare at him, he stopped arguing and gargled. It tasted awful. With a face read like a tomato, he lay back in his bed after spitting the mixture in the bucket.

"Open up," Molly ordered and put the thermometer in his mouth. "Hmm. Your temperature is rising," she stated. After placing a cool cloth on his head, she said, "Try to sleep, Severus. Arguing doesn't help your condition. Hermione is glad to help you. Don't push her away. I will need all the help I can get." When he fell asleep a few seconds later, she went back to cooking.

Hermione woke to the Potions Master trashing from side to side. Carefully, she went over to him and rinsed the cool cloth that had fallen. "Professor, everything is okay. You have to calm down." She gently spoke to him softly and tried to still him.

Severus woke with a jolt. The world around him was blurry, and he could hear Ms. Granger's voice, but it was muffled. He had the feeling his ears—no, his whole head—was stuffed with cotton wool. The cool cloth on his head felt good, and he sighed.

"I will change your compress now. Please don't fight me," Hermione said, worried.

He did not fight her, but he shivered when the cool cloths touched his skin.

"I know it feels awful, but it will help your fever." She sat down on his bed and looked worriedly at his unfocused eyes. "You have to rest, Professor." Concerned by his lack of response, she started to sing uneasily. Her mother had done this often when she was ill, and it always felt so good. Minutes later, he had fallen asleep again.

"Hermione, really, you shouldn't stress yourself so much," Molly scolded slightly as she came into the room with a tray of two bowls and spoons and a steaming pot of chicken soup.

"But he was having a nightmare, and I fear his fever is spiking. He wasn't really awake, I think." Hermione went over to her bed and took a full bowl of soup with her. "Mmm, that smells good, Mrs. Weasley."

"Please eat as much as you can. I will check on Severus." Molly was worried when he did not wake up as she took his temperature. It was 39.7°C now. Still not mortal peril, so she could not use magic. Sighing, she shook his shoulder. "Severus, I need you to wake up. Just for a short while."

He opened his eyes with much effort. Everything was a blur, and he could hardly hear Molly. He did not protest when she coaxed him to take two of the pain killers and fell asleep the moment after.

Two hours later, Severus awoke. His head was a little clearer. He heard soft snoring and turned in the direction of Hermione's bed. The girl was fully awake and staring at him. Puzzled, he looked for the cause of the snoring and found Molly lying on the mattress on the floor, fast asleep. The moment he had averted his eyes from the girl to look at Molly, Hermione had walked over to him.

"She is very exhausted. We should let her sleep," she said while sitting down on his bed. "Will you let me check your temperature?" she asked while holding up the thermometer to hover in front of his mouth. Hermione smiled happily at him when he did not complain. Not even his eye-rolling after her smile could make her feel bad. "39.2°C. It's going down."

"Because of the pain killer." Severus croaked and grabbed for his throat.

"Don't speak! You should gargle again." Seeing his horrified expression, she added, "I will warm up some soup for you, and you can gargle while I get it, okay?"

Severus nodded. His throat was killing him, and hot soup was something he really would like to have now.

When Hermione came back, she glanced into the bucket.

"Ms. Granger," Severus growled warningly. Even in his condition he was capable of making her shiver.

She placed the bowl down on the night table and leaned over him. Severus was shocked. _What the hell is the girl doing?_

Seeing his shocked face, Hermione could not stop herself from giggling. "I'm just lifting the headboard so that you can sit up."

After a few spoonfuls, he was so exhausted that he could not hold his hand steady. She was still sitting on his bed, and he was worried that this did not annoy him. _I must be really ill._

When he finally gave up and dropped the spoon in the bowl , she asked, "May I help you, Professor? I won't tell anyone. I read about Wizard's Oaths in a book. I could make one so that I can't tell anyone about what happened here. I also read about Memory Charms, but I would like to remember this all. I would like to remember this side of Professor Snape."

"This is not Professor Snape, Ms. Granger. This is just Severus Snape, and you should have never met him." He closed his eyes in desperation.

"Why not?" Hermione asked, disappointed.

"That difficult to explain, Ms. Granger," he said, exhausted.

"It's okay. Like I said, I would take an Oath, and if you insist upon it, I will agree to be Obliviated," she said sadly and sighed. She really would hate that. When she looked up again, she could see his eyes boring into hers.

"I will not ask that of you, but I would really appreciate if you did not tell anyone. Not even your friends."

"I won't," she said and smiled at him again.

_Damn, I'm going soft,_ he thought when he realized that she had smiled her way into his heart. Nobody had ever looked at him that way in his whole life. Maybe having a child like her around would not be as bad as he always thought it would be. He was still deep in thought when the first spoonful of soup found its way into his mouth. Swallowing it down, he looked confused at the spoon and the hand holding it. Without protest, he let Hermione feed him the rest of the bowl.

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_**Please review! **_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I'm not a native speaker of English! _

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my mistakes._

**_Dear readers,_**

_I'm leaving soon for vacation but I wanted to upload this before I leave. The story is complete now. Please leave me a review so that I have a lot t read when I'm back. It would really make my day. I hope Healer Pomfrey will like this story because it was written for her June challenge.  
_

_Sunny_

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Chapter 4 – The End

Hermione had collapsed in her bed after taking care of Severus, and they all slept until it was late in the evening. Molly checked on Hermione first. She was relieved to see that her fever was down. The girl woke up and she told her the good news.

"Then you can get help for Professor Snape now, Mrs. Weasley."

"No, my dear. Your fever is down now, but you will have a phase of changing condition between total exhaustiveness and feeling healthy. You are in great danger of fainting for the next 3 or 4 days, and so I cannot leave you alone. You could hurt yourself badly while I'm away. I can't risk that. You have to rest a lot."

"He woke up while you slept, and I checked his temperature. He gargled again, and I gave him the soup," Hermione explained to a stunned Molly.

"And he let you do all this?" Molly asked, surprised.

"What choice did I have? You were snoring like a walrus, and there was no possibility of waking you up," Severus said teasingly.

"Oh, you are awake, Professor," Hermione said happily.

He glared at her. "And why are you making that ridiculous smile again?"

"Severus, really," Molly scolded him while coming over to his bed.

Hermione still smiled. She knew now that his sniping comments were not real. "I'm smiling because I'm happy that you feel better. Last time, you looked so unfocused and now you can even try to be your old self."

He persisted in his glare at her and became worried when it continued to not work. Hermione just replied, "Whatever you say, Professor." With that, she settled back to see what Molly would do with him.

Severus stared open-mouthed at her, and Molly took the opportunity to shove the thermometer in his mouth. He adjusted his scowl to the older woman in the room. "No need to play the bad Professor before you are both back at the castle, Severus."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back into his cushion.

"39.4°C. You should take the next two painkillers. How are you feeling?" Molly asked.

"Better. The painkillers help, but my throat is killing me. Do you still have any soup?" Severus asked hopefully.

"Of course I have, but this first." She pressed the gargling mixture into his hand. He groaned, sipped at it, and spat it in the bucket.

"Severus, I warn you," Molly said dangerously. Hermione never thought that Mrs. Weasley was capable of such a tone.

Severus lowered his eyes and then took another bigger sip and really gargled. "That's much better, "Molly said in her soft voice again. "I will go and fetch the soup for you."

When Severus had spit out the mixture and glared at Hermione, she made a movement as if to zip her mouth shut.

"I hope you will remember that when you next meet your little friends. However, my hopes are very low." Exhausted, he leaned back in his bed and closed his eyes. He almost jumped when he felt the mattress dip beside him and a cool cloth found its was onto his forehead.

"You don't know me very well if you think I would break my promise to you, Professor," Hermione said calmingly while she bathed his face.

His onyx eyes were boring holes into her. "Why are you doing this, Ms. Granger?"

"Because you still have a fever. The cool cloth will—"

"Perhaps I should clarify. _Why_ are you worried? Do you think I am unaware of what you all call me? The bat of the dungeons. You hate me."

"I don't hate you, Professor." She spoke to him like a child. "And I never said anything like this about you. You have to be harsh in Potions because it is a dangerous subject. I don't know why you favor the Slytherins or why you seem to not like Gryffindors, but I'm sure you have a reason for it. You came to help me and the other students because of this illness, so why shouldn't I help you?"

He looked stunned at her and did not know what to say.

"Back into bed, Hermione," Molly ordered as she entered the room again. "I brought you a bowl of soup as well. I hope you are hungry."

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said and took the bowl from the tray. "It's really delicious."

Molly helped Severus to sit up. This time, he was capable of eating alone. After finishing the soup, he nervously glanced over to the girl in the other bed. Seeing that she still was occupied with her soup, Severus leaned closer to Molly, who was still sitting beside him on the bed. "I need to use the toilet. And don't even suggest the bucket, Molly, or I swear I will use all my power to strangle you."

Molly chuckled. "You wouldn't even have enough energy for that, Severus. You definitely won't manage to reach the toilet, let alone make the trip back. There is no other way."

"Molly," this time it was a really desperate plea. He knew he would never make it to the toilet alone. He feared that Molly would be right and that he would not even make it there with help, but he would prefer to die on his way to the toilet than use the bucket. He grabbed at Molly's arm as if it was his anchor to sanity.

"Calm down, Severus," Molly said gently and laid a hand on his arm. She turned to Hermione. "Hermione, dear, why don't you check on your parents? Take their temperatures and change the compresses until I join you, okay?"

Of course, Hermione had noticed the muffled conversation on the other bed. She was glad to leave the room. Hermione could perfectly understand her professor's worries, and she did not wanted to make it all more complicated for him. "Okay. Mrs. Weasley." With a slightly red face, she left the room.

"Damn, she knows exactly what this was all about." Severus threw himself forcefully back in his cushion. "I will not do it."

"If you want to wait until Hermione is back, that is no problem for me," Molly said challenging.

Severus glared at her. "I cannot do this. Let me at least try to reach the toilet."

"Severus, I have absolutely no problem with it. I won't let you try because I know that you won't make it, and then I have the problem of getting you back into bed. So there is only this option or you pee in the bed, and that would give me much more work than the bucket."

Her voice made Severus wonder if she was related to Poppy. "Maybe I can hold on until Ms. Granger is well enough so that you can leave us to get help."

"Next time you fall asleep, you will relieve you bladder in the bed, Severus. That's all I can tell you. And then it will be with Hermione in the room." She sternly looked at him. He looked as if he was fighting back tears. "Severus, really. It's nothing to worry that much about. You are worsening your condition." She gently stroked his cheek.

"You will leave me alone?"

"Of course, Severus. I will wait outside until you call me in, okay?" He nodded and she left the room.

It was a big struggle for him. Even though he knew that no one would come in, he had to close his eyes and force himself to relax. With his face burning from embarrassment, he called for Molly and she removed the bucket without comment.

When Hermione and Molly came back, Severus had turned on his side facing the wall and refused to look at them. Molly sighed and guided Hermione to her bed. "Maybe we should all sleep."

The next morning, they all pretended that nothing had happened. Molly went to check on Hermione's parents. She tried to keep Hermione away from them as long as possible because she worried that her parents might worsen Hermione's condition.

Hermione helped Severus by taking his temperature and changing his compresses. "You are getting better, Professor. Maybe you will be back to good health before me." She slumped her shoulders, exhausted.

"Are you feeling well, Ms. Granger?" Severus asked, worried by her behavior.

"Yes, I am. I'm just so worried about my parents. Will the antidote really help them? Even after they had been like this for so long?" Her eyes filled with tears and she looked worriedly at him.

"Hermione." He used her first name because she seemed so lost. "It doesn't matter how long your parents are in this condition, Molly makes sure that they stay as healthy as possible. The moment we are able to contact someone, we will get the antidote for them and they will get better. No need to worry."

Severus was shocked when she threw herself on him and sobbed hard into his shoulder. "Ms. Granger, you can not hug your Potions professor."

"I'm not hugging my Potions professor. I'm hugging Severus Snape," she sobbed.

"Using my own saying against me, girl? How very Slytherin," he said teasingly, but carefully lowered one of his hands onto her shoulder. "You really should stop, Hermione." When he lifted his eyes, he saw Molly watching them from the door frame. Severus immediately threw his hand back from Hermione's shoulder as if he had burned it.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Don twist you knickers about it, Severus. I already know that you are human. You are a real softy under those thick layers."

The glare he threw at her would have made the entire student body at Hogwarts faint in fear, but Molly just chuckled and helped the totally exhausted Hermione into her bed.

"Gargle, Severus. I will get something to eat for you."

______________

Two days later, Severus was healthy enough to take care of Hermione and her parents for the time Molly needed to Apparate to Hogwarts and get help. Forty minutes later, Albus and Poppy were standing in the small guest room at the Grangers. While Poppy checked Hermione, Albus struggled with his reluctant Potions Master. "Albus, I don't have to go back to bed now that you all are here to take care of her. I can leave now."

"You will not leave, my boy, before Poppy has checked on you." With a gentle firmness in his voice and movement, he maneuvered Severus back into his bed. After that, he sat down beside him. "Molly told me that you were very cooperative and helped her a lot."

Severus glared at Albus. "I wasn't in any condition to help her. One of those imbeciles you call students infected me with this damn illness." He pointed forcefully at his throat.

"No reason to poke a hole in your throat, Severus," Poppy scolded him while taking Albus' place to check on Severus. After checking him thoroughly, she said, "You are still ill and will rest a few days in the hospital wing. Ms. Granger can be watched by her parents after I gave them the antidote. If they aren't well enough to watch over her, we have to take her with us, Albus," she said to the Headmaster.

"Of course, Poppy," Albus answered.

Half an hour later, Severus and Hermione were placed in beds in the hospital wing at Hogwarts to rest until they were healthy again.

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